Crane adds, “I was very pleased that the system specified was RoomMatch system, as I have recently employed RoomMatch and PowerMatch components in several installations in our area.
“For example, at the University of Rhode Island’s Edwards Auditorium, RoomMatch solved a problem, as their existing system was not covering every seat. In the Boston Opera House application, RoomMatch not only increased coverage but it bolstered speech intelligibility by a significant margin.”
Crane also notes that a unique aspect of the project was matching the color of the theater’s golden/beige décor and painting the Bose modules to match.
“Beyond that,” he states, “things went very smoothly, and the crew at Boston Opera House helped with much of the installation. We had strict instructions to keep the architecture intact due to the historical nature of the building, but there were two holes that had been drilled for a special presentation of Phantom of the Opera years ago.
“We lucked out, because they were in the exact right spots for our purposes to hang the system,” he continues. “Once the system was up, it required minimal tuning or tweaking to dial in the audio perfectly.”
Marchetti also lists the unique challenges of providing sound reinforcement for a variety of genres in a large theater: “If a popular music artist is touring and the sound isn’t getting to the right spots in the venue, the FOH mixer simply adjusts the mix to compensate for the lack of clarity or definition.
“But Broadway productions are more complicated. They’re governed by what the show’s sound designer has specified for the overall sound of the show. We have also found that most touring productions are not capable of covering our large balcony with their systems.
“But now with the Bose RoomMatch system in place, it’s no longer a problem,” he adds. “The dispersion patterns that Bose offers are extremely specific, so it was not a challenge to put together exactly the right configuration for our needs. And the response has been enthusiastic from both audience and touring sound engineers. It’s a success all around.”